Prepayment coin device.



JACOB w. LATTIG, or GLENSIDE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND CHARLES L. GOODRUM, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY,- INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PREPAYMENT COIN DEVICE.

Specification cf Letters Patent. I

Patented Oct. 2, 191?.

Application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,387.

of New York and State of New York, re-

spectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PrepaymentCoin Devices of which the following is a full, clear, concise,'a-nd exact description.

This invention relates 'to coin collecting devices-for telephone pay stations.

The object of this invention isthe' provision of a coin collecting device of the prepayment type in which calls may be stored for future use upon the deposit of a coin.

value than the charge of a'single call.

In accordance with this invention, means are provided whereby a metering mechanism may be manually set in an advanced position uponthe deposit of a coin, said position depending upon the denomination of the coin deposited. Means are provided for automatically restoring said metering mechanism step by step to normal positio as the stored calls'are consumed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view partially in section of a coin collecting device embodying the features thereof, and Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective View partially in section of a looking mechanism for part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The coin collecting device shown in the drawing comprises a cylindrical case 1 hav ing a base member 2, the interior of said casing belng divided 1nto an upper and lower compartment by means of a partitioning member3. Journaled in the base 2 and partitioning member 3 is a shaft 4, carrying at its upper end a conical shaped drum 5. A spiral spring 6 having one of its ends attached to a post set in the partitioning member 3 and its other end secured to the shaft 4, functions to restore said shaft to normal position. Staggeredly mounted npon the surface of the drum 5 are a plurality of pins 7 having their respective positions deterwheel 18.

mined by the sizeof the coin they are in tended to engage. On the top of the casing 11s a knurled nut 8 having a reduced portlon, which projects through an aperture in said casing and has secured thereto a circular disk 9. The disk 9 carries a coin chute 10 formed of a' pairv of wing members bent at right angles'to the surface of said disk. A normal stop pin 11 functions to place the chute 10 in alinement with a slot 12 made in the casing 1, which slot is large enough to accommodate any size coin.

A sleeve 13, placed upon the lower end of the shaft 4, is provided with a shoulder which supports an escape wheel 14 loosely mounted thereon. Adjacent the escape wheel 14 is placed a washer 15 and mounted intermediate said washer and a collar 16, se-

cured to the shaft 4 and provided with an arm carrying a spring actuated pawl 17 is a ratchet wheel 18. A spring pressed pawl 19 fastened to the escape wheel 14 cooperateswith the ratchet wheel 18 to hold the same in an advanced position when rotated in a manner hereinafter to be described. A pawl-stop member 20 normally holds the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet The sleeve 13 is rotated in a counter-clockwisedirection by means of a spiral spring 21 having-one of its ends anchored to a post set in the base 2 and its other end secured to the sleeve itself. A pin 22 having its end tipped with an insulating material projects from the sleeve 13 in a manner to control a pair of contact springs 23 suitably supported from the base 2. The contact springs 23 are adapted to control the transmission circuit of a subscribers substation, and are held apart when the above described mechanism is in normal position, thereby disabling the substation. Electromagnet 35 controls an armature 36 carrying a set of escape pallets 37 adapted to cooperate with the escape wheel 14 so that each time the electromagnet is energized the escape wheel 14 is adapted to be released one step. The winding of the electromagnet 35 is included in a subscribers line circuit and may be actuated by a central oflice operator. The inclusion of the electromagnet 35 and the contact springs 23 .in the subscribers line circuit will be apparent from the drawing without describing the same. A cash box 26 is attached toone side of the casing 1 and has communication therewith by means of a slot through which the inserted coins are caused to fall, as will hereinafter be set forth. Immediately in front of the opening into the cash box is a bell crank lever pivotally mounted in the base 3, having one of its ends bifurcated in such a manner as to constitute a pawl 41 and a stop pin 42,

both of which elements control the movement of the drum 5, as will hereinafter be more fully explained. The long arm 43 of the lever is actuated by the weight of a coin falling into the till 26. A spring member 4A engaging a pin carried by the lever 40, main-.

tains said lever in either of its actuated.

mechanism is as follows: Assume that a twenty-five cent piece has been inserted'into a slot 12. It will be retained in a given 'p0- ff si'tion by the chute 10, and, by turning the nut 8, the disk 9 will be rotated in a clockwise direction until the periphery of the coin engages one of the pins 7, which, as"

stated before, will be individual to the respective coins of various denominations. By the coin engaging the pin7, a locking means is formed for rotating the drum, 5 which may now be advanced by continuing the rotation of the nut 8. It may be mentioned here that the drum 5 will be prevented from returning to normal position until it hasvreached the'limit of its travel, because of the pawl 41 engaging the teeth formed on the lower periphery of said drum. This feature eliminates the possibility of fraud which'might otherwise .be practised as will be apparent hereinafter. When the drum 5 has been rotated s'ufii'ciently to bring the deposited coin in.front of the opening into the coin'box 26, it will fall therein, thusreleasing said drum and allowing it to re-' 4.1 The store to normal position under the tension ofthespring'h I It will be noted that during the rotation of the drum 5,- the pawl 17 engaging the ratchet wheel 18, advances the same .five.

units in a clockwise direction. This operation places the spiral spring 21 under tension which causes the teeth-of the'escape wheel 14 to be pressed against one of the escape pallets 37. It will also be noted that the contact springs 23 are now closed, thus enabling the calling subscriber to signal the leased one step in a backward or counter- '1 clockwise direction. It will be v apparent that the electromagnet 35 maybe energized as many times as desiredin accordance with the established toll tarifi for the services rendered until the stored calls have been exhausted, orin other words, until the sleeve 13 is restored to normal position, thereby opening-contact springs 23 through the agency of pin 22.

\Vhen this occurs the subscribers substation is open circuited, thus rendering it useless until another coin has been deposited. I

From-the above it will be apparent that a plurality of calls mav be stored for future use, depending upon the denomination of the coin or coins deposited. Also, that by adjusting the position of the pin 7 a discount or rebate may be given by purchasing a glven number of calls in advance, as for example, placing the pin 7 to be engaged by a dollar so that twenty-five calls are stored up upon the deposit thereof. What is claimed is: I r

1. A coin collecting device including a ratchet mechanism, coin actuated means for advancing said ratchet mechanism, and

means operated by a coin for restoring said ratchet advancing means tion.

2. A com collecting devlce including -a to .normal posiratchet mechanism, means rendered efiective' by the introduction of a coin for advancing said ratchet mechanism, said means being manually operable, and means automati-.

eally operable by said coin for restoringsaid ratchet advancing means to normal posi tion.

3. A coincollecting device including a ratchet mechanism, coin actuated means for advancingsaid ratchet'mechanism, the advancement of said mechanism depending upon the denomination of the coin introduced said means being manually operable, and means automatically operable for restoring saidratchet mechanismwto normal position.

line terminating at acentral ofiice, of a coin combinat'ion with [a 'subscribers" 7' anism, ctiinactuated means for advancing said ratchetmechanism, means for restoring said ratchet mechanism to normal position, and'meansfor disabling the'transmission circuit of said subscribers lines, said disabling means being controlled by said ratchet mechanism.

5. The combination with a subscribers line terminating at a central oflice, of a coin collecting device including a ratchet mechanism, coin actuated means for advancing said ratchet mechanism, means for restoringsaid ratchet mechanism to normal position, and a pair of spring members for controlling the transmission circuit of said subscribers line, said spring members being closed when said ratchet mechanism is in an ofl-normal position and opened when said mechanismis in normal position. v

In witness whereof,. I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of April A. D., 1916.

my name thi JACOB W. LATTIG.

s 7th dayof April A. D., 1916. CHARLES L. GOODRUM. 

